Notre Dame Men’s Lacrosse Announces 2016 Fall Experience Schedule

Sept. 21, 2016

Lacrosse

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Keeping in line with tradition, the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse program has a full slate of events that includes scrimmages, service projects and networking opportunities. With a mission to prepare on the field, while also helping others off the field and preparing student-athletes for their futures, the team will touch base in cities such as Chicago and New York.

“Like every fall we are trying to give our guys as many different experiences as we can,” said Notre Dame head men’s lacrosse coach Kevin Corrigan. “We like to give them an opportunity to travel, network with Notre Dame alumni through all of the various industries that our guys are interested in and just to provide them with a neat experience. Whether in service, career building or just having fun, we want to make sure our guys are having that diverse experience that defines our program.”

SCRIMMAGES AT NOTRE DAME

Kicking off the fall is the Blue/Gold Scrimmage series, which takes place on home football Saturday’s. The first two editions of the series were played on September 10 and 17 but there are still two installments left, as the Irish will take the field of Arlotta Stadium on Sept. 24 at 10 a.m. and Oct. 15 at noon.

The team’s annual Steak & Hot Dog Game is scheduled for noon on Saturday, Oct. 2 at Arlotta Stadium. The Steak & Hot Dog Game will continue the tradition of splitting the team into two evenly matched squads drafted by the seniors. Some of the most memorable moments from the contest are the choreographed goal celebrations.

The winning team will be treated to a steak dinner in Niles, Michigan while the losing team will settle for hot dogs.

“The Steak & Hot Dog Game has always been something good,” said Corrigan. “There are a lot of wins in it for us. We want to make sure we do what we can to keep our guys playing at a high competitive level but also allow them to enjoy it and have fun and that game is a great way for them to do that.”

A compilation of highlights from past Steak & Hot Dog Games follows:

NEW YORK CITY TEAM TRIP
The centerpiece of the fall schedule will be a weekend trip to New York City from Oct. 7-9. The squad will scrimmage against Navy and Stony Brook on Oct. 8 at Stony Brook University beginning at noon. On Sunday, October 9 the team will also have a chance to connect with former members of the Notre Dame lacrosse team in the Alumni Game, which will take place at Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx.

The lacrosse games are just a part of a weekend focused on building character, culture and community. The Irish are also partnering up with CityLax and Harlem Lacrosse to put on a youth clinic.

“In the short time we are in New York we are going to play two games against other collegiate teams, have a reception with parents and alumni, play an alumni game in the Bronx and we are going to do a service project with Harlem Lacrosse and CityLax in the city of New York,” said Corrigan. “It makes for a busy weekend but one that I hope brings in a lot of the elements that we think are important for our guys.”

PLAYING FOR PEACE IN CHICAGO/DICKINSON SCHOOL MENTORING

The team will travel to Chicago on Thursday, Oct. 13 for the fifth-annual Playing for Peace service project. A free, instructional clinic co-hosted by OWLS (Outreach With Lacrosse & Schools) Lacrosse highlights the event, joining Notre Dame student-athletes with aspiring young lacrosse players.

The Playing for Peace initiative uses sport to transcend boundaries and bring people together in pursuit of peace, justice and human understanding. This mission serves in accordance with all of the community service efforts of the Notre Dame men’s lacrosse program, which includes a long-time relationship with OWLS Lacrosse. A not-for-profit organization, OWLS Lacrosse is dedicated to starting transformative lacrosse programs for inner-city schools and low-income communities.

Throughout the fall the team meets with students from the Dickinson Fine Arts Academy on a weekly basis, engaging in activities to encourage sportsmanship, critical thinking skills and self-motivation.

Now in the program’s ninth year, Notre Dame Lacrosse was recognized with the 2015 ACC/United Way “Game Changer” Award for this initiative. This year the team will collaborate with Grammy Award winning musician Todd Rundgren for a special day at the school.

“The mentoring that we do both here in South Bend in the school systems and the outreach we do in Chicago is really valuable for the communities we are working with and also for our guys,” said Corrigan. “It allows them to recognize the position they are in and how much they have to give. It puts them in a position where they can contribute to the life of someone else. I think it’s a really great thing and we look to continue in the partnership that we have with them and the Dickinson School here in town.”

NEW YORK CITY NETWORKING TRIP

Team members will look to continue expanding their connections with the eighth annual New York City Networking Trip on Thursday, Oct. 20. Exclusively for the sophomore and junior classes, the trip offers a full day of networking with firms and Notre Dame alumni from various industries, such as finance, media and commercial real estate.

The Notre Dame men’s lacrosse staff dedicates time each fall to organizing two premier trips for the season. The New York Networking event has developed into a staple for the program. Last year, the team visited Washington, D.C. and other locations in the past have included Denver, Colorado; Minneapolis, Minnesota; San Francisco, California and Seattle, Washington.

“I think the trip is important for our kids and if it’s important for our kids then it’s important for our program,” said Corrigan. “The guys are here to get a great education, have a great experience and set themselves up for the rest of their lives. We want to make sure they get the opportunity to do that in New York, Chicago and anywhere else that we travel.”

THE O’LEARY CUP

The University’s fall break is scheduled for Oct. 15-23; however, the team will have the annual O’Leary Cup to look forward to upon their return. Created as a way to break up the November training period, the O’Leary Cup competition features basketball, soccer, flag football and a weekly box lacrosse league.

COMPLETE FALL SCHEDULE

Sat 9/17: Blue/Gold Scrimmage @ ND – 12:30 p.m.

Sat 9/24: Blue/Gold Scrimmage @ ND – 10 a.m.

Sat 10/1: Steak/Hot Dog Game @ ND – 12 p.m.

Sat 10/8: ND v. Navy at 12 p.m. @ Stony Brook University

ND v. Stony Brook at 2 p.m. @ Stony Brook University

Sun 10/9: ND Alumni Game @ Cardinal Spellman HS, Bronx NY – 12 p.m.

Thurs 10/13: Day of Service in Chicago with OWLS

Sat 10/15: Blue/Gold Scrimmage @ ND – 11 a.m.

Thurs 10/20: Junior Networking Day in NYC

The University of Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team pursues excellence on and off the field through the three pillars in which the program is built: Character, Culture & Community. These three foundational values guide the promise of the program, which is to provide its student-athletes with the most compelling and enriching experience in all of college athletics. Through academics, competition, service and travel, the program aims to immerse its players in situations that enhance their student-athlete experience to help them become the people, students and teammates they aspire to be.

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